A little help from their friends
by Spikeschick
Summary: Stephanie thinks Nat and Jeff would be the perfect couple - if only they didn't hate each other. (language)
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: None of the wrestlers or WWF stuff belongs to me, I only own Nat and her dad.  
  
   
  
   
  
Reading through the new storyline once more, his eyes widened in disbelief. He had read it through enough times that it should start to register as the truth, but he still couldn't believe they were doing it. It made no sense. Everyone knew he hated Nat, and she hated him, why the hell were they pushing a romance? He couldn't help but wonder if Vince was punishing him for some imagined slight. He slammed the locker shut, continuing to rant as Matt looked on, bored.  
  
"Man," He moaned, his face contorted into a painful grimace. "She'd be vindictive too, she'll make the most of it. Make it as agonising for me as possible."  
  
Matt tried not to smile, focusing on the floor. He had a hard time listening to his brothers snide comments about Nat at the best of times, since she did not seem to him to be the Devil Incarnate that Jeff always made her out to be. But there could be something he wasn't seeing. However, hearing Jeff let loose with a barrage of insults caused him to finally speak up.  
  
"Dude!" He shouted, holding his hands up to silence Jeff. "Enough, ok? Stay away from her then, do your thing with her on screen, suck it up, then be on your merry way."  
  
"Are you saying…?" Jeff asked, accusingly. Matt interrupted him, knowing what he was about to say.  
  
"I'm saying that for someone who hates her so damn much, you let her occupy an awful lot of your time! Quit with the bitching, would you?"  
  
Jeff just paused, his features twisted in an expression of confusion. Then his eyes widened, and he glared down at Matt, furious. "Are you taking her side?" He yelled. Matt stood, sighing with frustration.  
  
"You know, I really don't care. Sort the shit out yourself." He left Jeff standing in the locker room alone, wearing nothing but an infuriated scowl on his handsome face.  
  
   
  
"Honey, get over yourself." Natalie said, frustration and boredom evident in her tone. "I love this whole set up as much as you."  
  
"Yes, I'm sure you do." Jeff replied. They were headed down to the rec. room, where their scenes were to be shot. Nat had an awful feeling of nausea and apprehension as they approached the room, much the same as the feeling she got in a doctor's office, waiting for an injection, or other unpleasant procedures.  
  
They reached the room, and got into position, not more than a meter apart.  
  
"Love, people! I see no love!" The cameraman yelled. Nat's expression softened, and she gazed into Jeff's eyes adoringly. "I swear on all that is good and pure," She murmured, loving smile firmly in place. "You stick your tongue anywhere near my mouth, I will not hesitate to bite it off."  
  
He gazed back at her, smiling sweetly, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from her face. "If I stick my tongue in your mouth," He replied, his voice tender and sweet. "I'll bite it off myself."  
  
   
  
The sparks were flying from the screen, Stephanie McMahon thought with a giddy grin. Who knew all that hate and animosity would produce such amazing chemistry? Ok, she knew, which is why she wrote the storyline in the first place. She had more in store for the pair than that, she just had to fine tune it before she put part two into action. When, and she was sure it was a 'when', not an 'if', they finally turned all their hostility into good old fashioned passion and lust, Steph knew the effects would be felt the world over. She patted herself on the back for a job well done, and headed out the door to find Nat.  
  
   
  
"Oh, Jesus!" Steph heard Nat cry from the rec. room, and she paused to listen. "Just fuck off already!"  
  
Jeff stormed from the room, almost running into Steph.  
  
"Hey Jeff." She smiled sweetly.  
  
"Steph." He replied curtly, continuing down the hall. She arched an amused eyebrow at his disappearing figure, then headed into the rec. room, to find Nat facing the door, hands on hips in anger and disbelief.  
  
"That asshole!" She cried, throwing her hands up. She reached behind the table, and pulled up her handbag. Striding to the door, with Steph following, amused, she kept on ranting. "If he gets any further up himself, we're gonna have to call in a proctologist."  
  
"Oh, he's not that bad." Steph replied. "You two just got off on the wrong foot." She placed an arm around Nat's shoulder. "Come on, facials and manicures on me."  
  
"Yay!" Nat replied, feeling better suddenly as they headed for the car park. "But you know, if I see your dad in the next few hours, I'll kill him for this whole story line."  
  
"Yes." Steph said, cautiously. "Devious old bastard." She shot a quick look at Nat, smiling nervously. 'Oh boy.' She thought, trying to stop from laughing. 'She's going to kill me. Just as long as she realises that in the end, it's all for their own good.' 


	2. Operation Nat'n'Jeff phase 1

She put her ear to the ground, figuratively, trying to get the goss on the situation with Jeff and Nat. She was also on the prowl for someone to help her out, a partner in crime. Trying to blend in, appearing casual, she had to stop herself from crying out 'Jackpot!' when she heard Matt in the rec. room, bemoaning the situation, and how it was a cover up for deep-seated feelings that they were both too stubborn to admit to. She threw herself into a chair beside him, nodding excitedly. "You think so too?"  
  
Before she knew it, part two was put in motion.  
  
"I don't know, could work." HHH said over breakfast one morning, as Steph informed them of the next step.  
  
"Shh." She whispered, looking toward the door. Matt and HHH turned to see Jeff walk in, and head for the bench where Nat stood. They watched as she replaced the pot of coffee, and Jeff picked it up, peering suspiciously inside. Nat narrowed her eyes at him.  
  
"Should I tip this out?" Jeff asked.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Didn't spit in it did you?" He smirked.  
  
"Yeah." She drawled sarcastically. "I thought to myself, Jeff will be here in a minute, better spit in the coffee." She did her best to ignore him. "I don't give you that much thought."  
  
                "Yes you do."  
  
                 "Oh my God!" Nat shot him a look of contempt. "Can you spell arrogant?"  
  
"Can you? Or wait, what about 'cat'?" He smiled triumphantly. She rolled her eyes and walked off, taking a seat with Steph.  
  
"Nat, are we still on for today?" Steph asked, and Nat nodded.  
  
"Where you girls off to?" HHH asked innocently.  
  
"Coffee, shopping, usual." Steph replied, concealing a grin. She finished her breakfast, and left, telling Nat she had to finish up some paperwork first. "I'll only be five minutes!" She called as she headed out the door.  
  
   
  
"She said to tell you sorry, she might be a bit late. But she said to meet her there, since she'll be down that way anyway."  
  
"Thanks, Hunter." Nat said, smiling. Steph had to run an errand, sending HHH to her with the message that they would meet at the coffee shop instead of the hotel. Grabbing her keys, she headed out the door.  
  
   
  
"Give me five minutes, Jeff, I'll just run down and get the shoes, you sit here and wait. Have a coffee. Get me one."  
  
Jeff sat alone at a table, in a small coffee shop at the mall. Matt had suddenly remembered he needed a pair of trainers, and went off to buy them. He ordered a coffee, and took a newspaper from a stand near the counter.  
  
"Shit!" He cried, as he stepped back into someone, spilling his coffee down his shirt. He turned to see Nat, who was just as surprised as he was. "Watch it."  
  
"Me!" She laughed, astonished. Shaking her head, she muttered, "Dickhead." under her breath as he walked away from the counter.  
  
   
  
Matt arrived, disappointed to see the two sitting apart. Once Jeff had spotted him, he jumped from his chair, determined to leave.  
  
"But, we just got here!" Matt replied. Jeff pointed to the coffee stain on his shirt, and nodded his head toward Nat. She gave him the finger in return. Giving Matt no chance to protest, Jeff headed out the door.  
  
   
  
"Ok, so now what?"  
  
"Don't worry, there are a lot of other opportunities for us." Steph said reassuringly. "Besides, lets not forget who has control over this particular storyline, hey? I have plenty of things in store for those two, don't you worry about that."  
  
  


	3. Operation Nat'n'Jeff phase 2

As Nat sat down for breakfast the next morning, Steph gave the signal.  
  
"Oh!" Matt cried out, looking at Steph. "Lita's birthday next week. Still gonna give me a hand picking out a present?"  
  
"Definitely." She replied casually. "When?"  
  
"I have some free time today."  
  
"Nope. No can do. Busy all day today." Steph looked at him, putting on her best apologetic expression.  
  
"But, today's the only day I really can!" He cried.  
  
"What about you?" Steph said to Nat. "You wanna help him?"  
  
"Yeah, I can." She replied indifferently, concentrating on her newspaper, and doing her best to ignore Jeff who had just sat down opposite her.  
  
   
  
"Damn!" Matt cried, as the car shuddered to a halt. He pulled into the kerb, slamming his hands down on the steering wheel as the engine died. Nat sighed, resting her head back on the seat, then opened the door. "Don't know anything about cars, do you?" He asked, and she shook her head.  
  
"You?"  
  
"I know how to drive one." He offered meekly. He opened the glove box, swearing in frustration when he realised he had forgotten his mobile phone.  
  
"Hang on, I got one." Nat said, reaching into her handbag. Her eyes narrowed when she was unable to find it, and she tipped the contents into her lap. "It's always here! I haven't taken it out."  
  
"Don't worry, I'm sure there's a phone box around somewhere. You wait here, and I'll get help." With that, he left her, heading up the road and disappearing around a corner.  
  
   
  
Once the car was out of sight, he reached down into his pocket and pulled out his mobile phone. From his other pocket, he pulled a piece of paper with Nat's mobile phone number scrawled across it. Dialling the number, he waited for a response.  
  
"Steph? You there?"  
  
"Yep, on my way. See you in a sec."  
  
Matt pressed the end button, immediately dialling another number. Once he was done, he placed the phone back in the pocket of his baggy jeans, where it was once again well hidden. He went to the kerb, and waited patiently for Steph to arrive.  
  
   
  
Jeff drove down Main road, keeping his eye out for Matts car. Seeing it, he pulled in behind and got out, groaning when he saw Nat in the front seat.  
  
"What are you doing here?" She asked, no malice in her tone, just curiosity.  
  
"Matt called me. Where is he anyway?"  
  
"Went to find a phone box, call AAA."  
  
Jeff reached in the driver's window and popped the bonnet. He disappeared under the hood for a few minutes, then got into the drivers seat, turning the key. He laughed as he realised what the problem was.  
  
"Out of gas." He said, which prompted a look of disbelief from Nat, not directed at Jeff, but at the simplicity of the problem.  
  
"That's all?" She asked.  
  
"You don't believe me?" He challenged.  
  
"No, I mean, so it's not a big drama? No blown up engines or…" She stopped, shooting him a contemptuous look. "No need for the attitude."  
  
"Listen, I got better things to do, so lets just get this done, hey?"  
  
"Thank you." Nat mumbled reluctantly, once Jeff had the car back on the road. He nodded slightly, and left. Forty minutes later, Matt arrived, looking around puzzled.  
  
"You were out of gas." Nat said. "Jeff came out, it's all fixed, lets go."  
  
"Where is he now?"  
  
"Gone. No need for him to hang around."  
  
Matt forced a smile. "Good then, all worked out for the best." He said, disappointed that they had failed again.  
  
   
  
"Face it, the plan sucked." Steph sighed irritably. "We should have thought it out more, should have realised Jeff knows cars. At least he didn't twig to the fact that you know cars too." She banged her head against the table. "That was supposed to be their bonding time!"  
  
"So now what?" Matt asked. Steph sighed, continuing to bang her head in frustration. Suddenly she looked up, eyes bright.  
  
"Ok, how about…"  
  
"Shh!" HHH whispered, seeing Jeff walk in. He sat down beside Matt, spoke briefly then left again.  
  
"Ok, you were saying?"  
  
Steph leaned in close, whispering her idea.  
  
"Oooh!" Matt cried out, excitedly. "Good plan!" He looked around cautiously, leaning back in. "That has to work, doesn't it?"  
  
Steph nodded, and smiled. 'Yes it will.' She thought, uneasily. 'Or at least, it better.' 


	4. Operation Nat'n'Jeff phase 3

"He's got to be shitting me." Jeff laughed sardonically, as he read over his new lines. Throwing the papers on the bed, he continued to laugh. "There's no way I'm doing that."  
  
"It's not that bad." Matt offered, picking the discarded script off the bed and looking over it. He knew exactly what was in there. He particularly liked the bit about the candle wax and the handcuffs, since that was his suggestion. "Come on, Jeff. You know how these on screen romances go! No one likes a happy couple on TV, as soon as you two convince the audience you are blissfully happy and totally in love, the producers will rip you apart. So just suck it up for now, and it will be over before you know it. You'll never have to deal with her again."  
  
Jeff sighed. "Heres hoping."  
  
   
  
"Oh my God." Nat groaned, as she left the arena with Steph after the show. "I cannot believe that. I'm not an actress you know. Do you have any idea how hard it is to convince people I like Jeff, let alone be in love with him? And I mean, eeewww! That stuff we said we did?" Nat shook her head, trying to shake the visuals from her mind.  
  
"Don't worry, hon." Steph replied. "Go have dinner with your dad, forget all about it. It's done now, the worst is over." 'Ha, as if the worst is over.' Steph thought, gleefully. Her phone rang, and she took it from her pocket.  
  
"He's on his way out." Matt said when she answered.  
  
"No!" She cried. "Ok, listen… right now? But…ok, ok. Bye." She turned to Nat. "That was Shane. Big family emergency. I have to go."  
  
"Everything ok?"  
  
"Yeah, everything's fine, just, you know, family stuff."  
  
"OK, just drop me at the hotel, and I'll get my car."  
  
"Jeff!" Steph shouted, and Nat turned to see him, striding across the car park. He stopped, and headed for them. "You wouldn't be a love, and give Nat a ride, would you?"  
  
"No, it's fine," Nat quickly interjected. "Just drop me at the…"  
  
"Don't be silly, the restaurant is closer."  
  
"No, it's n…" But before she could finish, Steph squeezed Jeff's arm, thanking him, and then disappearing.  
  
'Yay.' Nat thought, wondering if the day could get worse.  
  
   
  
"West terrace." Nat said, and Jeff turned right on east. "West." She repeated.  
  
"What?" He asked, getting angry.  
  
"I said west terrace." She told him calmly. "You just went down east."  
  
"It's the same road, why didn't you say left or right?"  
  
"Because I said east or west. As in, the names of the streets? That side is east, this side west."  
  
"And left or right would have been easier for me."  
  
"Oh, so it's my fault your stupid." She replied. "Sorry."  
  
"Eat me."  
  
"Oh, gee Jeff." Nat said, sarcastically. "How is it you don't have a woman, being such a charmer."  
  
"Are they all like you? Then I don't need no woman in my life." He replied bluntly.  
  
"Don't need a woman in your life, Jeff, because you are the woman in your life."  
  
   
  
"Hi, Dad."  
  
Nat entered the restaurant, feeling awkward and out of place in such an upmarket setting. She was shown to the table where her dad sat, with a waiter appearing a few seconds later to take their order.  
  
"I'm sorry I haven't been able to spend much time with you lately, honey." He said, pouring her a glass of wine. "But with Wrestlemania coming up, it's just been so hectic."  
  
"No," Nat held her hand up, to stop him apologising. "Totally cool. I've been too busy to notice."  
  
Nat's father was an executive with the WWFE, and one of Vince's closest friends. Nat was still at the awkward stage in her relationship with her dad, they had little contact over the first 20 years, only recently had he taken the effort to be an active participant in his daughter's life. It took her a few years to forgive him for his absent parenting, but she eventually realised that she had made it this far without his help, and what she needed more than a father was a friend. So that's what they were. Still, the natural protective instinct of a parent snuck out occasionally, such as tonight, when he told her he wasn't entirely happy with her storyline.  
  
"I know, it's not my place and all," He said cautiously, not wanting to step on her toes. Experience told him as soon as he objected to something, she would do it, just to let him know he had no right to demand anything. "But, I'm not real keen on the idea of you and any of the wrestlers."  
  
"Well," She let out a derisive laugh. "Go have a chat with your little buddy, Vince."  
  
"Why Vince?"  
  
She looked at him, confused. "He's the one who wrote it."  
  
"Stephanie is in charge of that." He said. She stopped chewing, looking up at him to see if she heard right.  
  
"Steph?" She mumbled, her mouth full. She swallowed, and then placed her fork down slowly. "Steph?" She repeated. The room fell silent, and all that Nat could hear was a distant whirring noise, which gradually grew louder.  
  
"Natalie?" Her dad asked, "You ok?" but she held her hand up to silence him, concentrating.  
  
"Shh." She whispered. "Can you hear that?"  
  
"Hear what?"  
  
"That." She said, as an imaginary metallic 'clang' sounded in her mind. She looked up at him, an evil smile creeping across her face. "That was the sound of a penny dropping."  
  
  


	5. Confined spaces

Once she had left the restaurant, Nat headed back to the hotel, still trying to decide on whether or not she would hunt Steph down. She tried to be furious for what she had been doing, troubled that she could only manage mildly annoyed. She stepped into the lobby, groaning when she saw Jeff waiting for the elevator. 'Just perfect.' She thought. Should she tell him? Should she even let Steph know she was onto her? No, she thought. Just sleep on it, decide what to do tomorrow. She stood beside Jeff silently, not even glancing in his direction. He ignored her as well. The lift opened, and they entered, standing on opposite sides.  
  
The cabin was thrown into darkness somewhere between the fifth and sixth floors, and while she wasn't surprised, Nat screamed in frustration as the elevator shuddered to a halt. "Goddamn bitch!" She cried, kicking the wall.  
  
"Who?" Jeff asked, trying to find the emergency phone in the dark.  
  
"Fucking Stephanie!" She said, angrily. "Don't bother with the phone, Jeff. She'd have that busted."  
  
"What are you going on about?"  
  
She sighed dramatically, ignoring the question. "Ok, what now?"  
  
"I don't know." He snapped.  
  
"Like you could think of something anyway."  
  
He sniggered in the dark. "And you could? What, with your hectic life full of vital life or death choices, Oh should I have coffee or a facial? Hmmm, decisions, decisions."  
  
"Oh is that right?" Nat smirked. "Kind of like you hey? Oooh, what colour should I dye my hair today? Oh I just can't seem to decide! I might do them all! You should just stick to blonde, sweetheart. Suits your IQ."  
  
"Hey, fuck you." He snapped. "What the hell has that got to do with Stephanie anyway?"  
  
"You don't see it?"  
  
"Uh, I can't see anything, mallrat." He laughed, indicating the darkness. "But I can hear you, acting like a retard. Again."  
  
Although he couldn't see her, he could feel the angry glare she was giving him. "Oh, ok then Jeff. Lets see hey? Think back to a time, once upon a time, at a coffee shop. You, me, alone. Or how about a car breakdown? Or what about, the ride home tonight? And the ride home last week?" Nat raised the pitch of her voice, imitating Steph. "'Oh, I'm not going back to the hotel, I've organised for Matt to give you a ride home.' Oh, but where's Matt? I don't see him, all I see is Jeff.' And now, strangely enough, the elevator which we are in, together, alone, has mysteriously shit itself."  
  
There was silence from the other side of the cabin. "So it's all a big scam?" He asked, finally.  
  
"Vince didn't write the story. Dad told me Steph did."  
  
There was a brief pause. "Goddamn bitch!" He cried.  
  
"That's what I said. She's like, I don't know, playing with us."  
  
"Damn! Why would she write that story? Anyone but you, she should have written me with."  
  
"Oh please, like you're a real prize"  
  
"Damn straight."  
  
"Here we go." She sighed. "Yes, Jeff. I want you. You Da Man."  
  
"Damn straight."  
  
Out of sheer frustration, at not being able to see anything, at having no escape from Jeff, at Steph and what she had done, and the sense of having absolutely no control over the situation, Nat stood in the centre of the cabin, and screamed, long and loud and angry.  
  
"Shut up!" Jeff tried to shout over her, but to no avail. He reached out to grab her, to get her attention, but she slapped his hand away, continuing to yell. Knowing where she was, he grabbed both her arms, pinning them at her sides, turning her to face him. She stopped, and all he could hear was her ragged breathing.  
  
                What came over him next remained a mystery, as he grabbed her by the back of the head and kissed her forcefully. He reasoned with himself that it was to shut her up, but she had already stopped yelling. She showed no response to his kiss, instead she shoved him away. He slammed into the back wall, and as he was regaining his balance, she caught him by surprise when she jumped on him, kissing him roughly.  
  
                The next few minutes were a blur, as bodies were slammed into every corner, clothes were ripped, lips were bitten, hair was pulled. Before anything too drastic could happen, the lights flickered on, and they froze, almost as though they had woken from a bizarre dream. In the dark it didn't seem so strange, but seeing the scenario in the light, a tangle of arms and legs, her face an inch from Jeff's, barely dressed, was a rude awakening. She stood abruptly, fumbling with the buttons on her jeans, and pulling her shirt on. Jeff scrambled for his clothes, and patted his hair flat. They went back to their respective corners, and stood in silence, too embarrassed to look at the other. The elevator jumped, then began to move. She stepped out into the hall, walking briskly to her room. Every nerve in her body told her Jeff was just behind her, but she kept walking. Reaching her room, she fumbled with the key, not daring to look up, hoping he would hurry up and go past, as his room was just up the hall from hers. She finally got the door open, and somewhere in her brain, somewhere in the logical  'Don't do anything stupid.' area, something snapped. She slowly turned, seeing Jeff walking past, staring back at her. A quick glance up and down the hall, then her eyes went back to his. One arched eyebrow and a slight smile was all it took, and Jeff pounced, pushing her back into the room and kicking the door shut behind him. 


	6. Payback

Nat opened her eyes slowly, and groaned. It took a few seconds, but it soon came back to her in all it's horrifying glory. She turned her head, cringing when she saw Jeff asleep beside her. So it wasn't just a bad dream, she thought, closing her eyes in dismay. Sneaking from the bed, she went to the bathroom, locking the door behind her.  
  
            'Bloody hell, Nat!' She said to her image in the mirror. 'Jeff? Are you nuts? Or a masochist?' She sat on the side of the bathtub, placing her head in her hands, and rocking back and forth, muttering 'What have you done? What have you done?'  Another little voice suddenly appeared from the depths of her brain, offering completely unwelcome advice. 'You loved it.' It told her. 'Oh I did not!' 'Yes you did, you couldn't get enough of him, admit it.'  'Oh, that is SO not true! Who invited you anyway?'  
  
        "Oh my God, I'm losing my mind!" She said out loud.  
  
   
  
        "Hey." Jeff whispered conspiratorially, his eyes darting around the room. "What's the plan?"  
  
        Nat had just sat down to lunch, the events of the previous night still fresh in her mind. She glanced up at Jeff, who had thrown himself into a chair beside her. Suddenly she was nervous and tongue tied around him. "Plan for what?" She asked cautiously.  
  
        "Steph."  
  
        "Oh." She replied. "I don't know yet."  
  
        "I personally think we should keep it secret, that we're getting it on. No need to..."  
  
        "Got it on." She interrupted, with emphasis on the word 'Got'. "We got it on. Once. We are not 'getting' it on, because it's not gonna happen again."  
  
        Jeff arched an amused eyebrow at her, with a look that said 'Is that what you think?'  
  
        "Your loss, princess." he drawled.  
  
        "Oh, how could I ever compete with the love you have for yourself." Nat said, sarcastically. "You break my heart."  
  
        "I bet I do." He smiled smugly. Nat rolled her eyes, irritated with him already.  
  
        "I'm going upstairs." She sighed, pushing herself away from the table and heading out the door.  
  
        "I'll be there in five minutes." He replied, cocky grin firmly in place.  
  
        "Don't bother." She responded, walking away before the smile that threatened to appear, did.  
  
   
  
        The following week, Nat still hadn't let Steph know that she was onto them, wanting to wait for the right time. Jeff and herself had spent the week countering any set ups that Steph and Matt had tried to pull, and when they did get caught in a trap, they now had new ways of spending their time alone.   
  
            One morning, Steph arrived at her door, casting a curious glance around Nat's room. "What the hell happened in here?"  
  
"Nothing, why?"  
  
"It's a mess!"  
  
"Hey! Do I come into your room and rag on your house keeping skills?"   
  
"Sorry, but it looks like someone's been brawling in here or something." She shook her head, as if to say 'never mind', while Nat supressed a smile. If you only knew, she thought.  
  
              "What do you want to do today?"  
  
              "Don't know." Nat replied. "Nothing until I have a shower."  
  
              "Ok, Dad gave me tonights story for you, we can go over it."  
  
              "Ok." Nat replied with a forced smile, trying desperately to appear calm and happy, while fighting the urge to grab Steph by the hair and slam her head into the table repeatedly. Steph said goodbye, and once Nat had closed the door behind her, the bathroom door opened.  
  
              "What are we gonna do about her then?" Jeff said, stepping out, wrapped in only a towel.  
  
              "Don't know, but it's gonna have to be good."  
  
              "We'll, lets see what she has in store for us tonight, and go from there."  
  
              "Time for the schemers to become the schemee's, I think."  
  
              "Exactly." He smiled. "Now, did you say something about a shower?"  
  
   
  
              "No problem." Nat said, hiding her smile. Steph had told her she would be at ringside for Jeff and Matt's tagteam match that evening, getting in to kiss Jeff when they won.  
  
"Kind of make it official, you know, that you two are a couple. In front of the audience. Rather than sneaking around backstage."  
  
"Well, if your dad insists on this pairing, who the hell am I to argue." She sighed, feigning resignation.   
  
   
  
The match was underway, and Nat thumped the floor of the ring with her fists, urging Jeff on. Finally he had his opponent down for the three count, and Nat jumped up and down excitedly, pulling herself up onto the apron. She gave Jeff a quick look, and he nodded slightly. She climbed under the top rope, and ran toward Jeff enthusiastically, but she didn't stop, instead she charged Matt, jumping up and hooking her legs around his waist, giving him the best damn stage kiss ever. The crowd fell into a stunned silence, and Nat would have given anything to see Steph's face at that moment. She let go and stood up, and as Matt stared at her, completely stunned, she pushed him to the floor. Straddling him on the ground, she kissed him again, until the crowd burst into cheers and applause. She stood up, and pushed her hair from her face, flustered, then exited the ring smiling triumphantly.  
  
   
  
Jeff stood back, watching Steph out of the corner of his eye. He tried to supress a smile. She's gonna burst something, he thought. She stood at the edge of the ring, a range of expressions crossing her face, from confusion, to anger, to disbelief, and back to confusion. She looked at Jeff, who tried to keep his furious glare for the camera without cracking a smile. He walked over to Matt, nose to nose, and started yelling. He then left the ring and ran up the ramp, calling Nat's name angrily.  
  
   
  
            "Do you think that was payback?" Matt asked, as he, Steph, HHH and Lita sat in the hotel bar. "You think they know what we've been doing?" Steph was well on her way to total intoxication, maybe with a side of alcohol poisoning, and just a dash of liver failure.  
  
            "Nah, they don't know." Steph slurred. "I mean, we've been careful. We've been, whats that word? Careful?"  
  
            "Yeah, honey," HHH said, wondering if it was time to take her upstairs. "You said that. But you have been getting a bit devious. The plans have been getting more elaborate. You could have slipped up somewhere, and not realised."  
  
            "How could she do this to me!" Steph complained. "She ruined my storyline, dad's gonna kill me, and what the hell is the big deal anyway? So she has to kiss Jeff, he ain't no man-beast you know. He's hot. I, for one, would totally do him." HHH raised an amused eyebrow at the last comment. "And does anyone here actually KNOW the reason they hate each other so damn much?"  
  
        No one answered, since no one knew the reason. "No, she don't know shit." Steph slurred, swaying in her chair. HHH reached out quickly as she fell sideways, grabbing her before she tumbled to the floor. Oblivious, she kept talking. "No way. I know Nat. If that was payback, she's slipping. That was hers and Jeffs way of getting out of the storyline, plain and simple, to let whoever know that they won't do it no more. It was their way of saying, 'Do something, make something else up, but Jeff and I ain't kissin' no more.' Nope, if they know what we've been up to, you can count on a bigger payback than that." Steph slumped in her chair, defeated, and everyone around the table fell silent as they contemplated the situation.  
  
        "Uh, Trips?" Matt said a few minutes later, nodding towards Steph.  
  
        "Shit." HHH mumbled, as he picked up a passed out Steph and carried her from the room.  
  
   
  
        "Stephanie." Vince McMahon phoned her room the morning after the show, and he did not sound happy. "We need to have a chat."  
  
        "Dad, I'm a bit..."  
  
        "Now, Stephanie." He interrupted, and experience told her not to argue with that tone of voice, if she wanted to see past her next birthday. 


	7. Remorse

Steph rubbed her temples, and searched the bathroom cabinet for an aspirin, or vitamin B, anything to lessen the hangover. Vince sounded pissed, she thought nervously.  
  
She entered the foyer of the offices, smiling at the receptionist, who quickly looked away, refusing to make eye contact. 'Odd.' Steph thought, and something told her all was not well. Nerves began to build as she headed down the corridor to her fathers office.  
  
As she turned the corner, she saw Matt heading her way, staring at the ground. "Matt." She called, but he just looked up at her sadly, and continued on his way. By this time, the anxiety that had been building had started to party with the hangover, and she felt nauseous. She slowly approached her fathers' door, peering around the corner.  
  
"Stephanie." She jumped, hearing her fathers commanding voice from up the hall.  
  
"Hi daddy." She said sweetly, but he was expressionless.  
  
"In here, please." She tried to read his face, but all she could see was disappointment. She entered the room, and saw Nat's dad, Robert, leaning against the desk, looking serious.  
  
"You two can go now." He said, and Steph turned to see Nat and Jeff, sitting in two chairs against the wall behind the door. Jeff was angry, upset about something, and he stood, refusing to look at her.  
  
"Natalie." Robert said sternly, as she opened her mouth to say something. "I'll take it from here. You two just go."  
  
Steph watched as her best friend walked from the room angry, and she knew she was the reason. She felt like she would cry, and she blinked rapidly to stop herself. The suspense was torture, she wanted to know what was going on, but didn't want to hear it.  
  
"So, what's the story?" She asked casually, feeling herself begin to panic. "What's going on?"  
  
"It seems as though someone has broken some rules." Vince started, pointing to a chair in the centre of the room, telling Steph to sit. He then proceeded to pace the room as if it was an interrogation. Robert just remained in his place at the desk, frowning at her.  
  
"We had to fire Jeff." Robert said, and Steph gasped in shock at the sudden, out of the blue statement, feeling as though she had been slapped. "Before you ask why, one condition to Nat's working here is that she does not become involved with any of the talent. An unfair rule, I understand that, but nevertheless, the only rule I had. And she agreed to that. Jeff was aware of the rule, so neither have any right to claim it as unfair."  
  
"But," Vince interjected, slowly circling Steph's chair, a predator rounding up it's prey. "What is unfair is placing all the blame on them. Seems that you had a large part in their, shall we say, matchmaking?"  
  
"But, they're not..."  
  
"Yes they are." Robert stated firmly.  
  
"Since when?"  
  
"I'm not sure how long it has been going on, but it was definitely..." He tried to search for appropriate words. "On this morning."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure what I saw this morning was something a father should never have to see."  
  
"So, Stephanie," Vince leaned down close to her ear, a quiet menace to his voice. "You did it. Congratulations. Your plans, all your schemes, they finally worked." He stood straight, staring down at her with a small, malicious smile. "Hope you got the results you were after."  
  
Finally the tears came, although she fought hard against them. She wanted to vomit for what she had done. "But, you can't fire Jeff! I mean, it was our fault! I mean, my fault! I set it up, I planned it all. You can't punish them for it! Dad, you can't!"  
  
"And what would you have me do, Stephanie? Fire you? Fire Nat?" He smiled again, shaking his head.  
  
"Don't fire anyone!"  
  
"Like I said," Robert responded calmly. "They both knew the rules before hand. And although they could very well blame you for the situation, the responsibility for their actions ultimately lays at their own feet."  
  
"But, I can't..." She started, but she was unable to finish the sentence. She didn't know what to say or do. This was a disaster of the epic kind, she thought. Among the numerous reasons she could think of, a few stuck out in her mind. Professionally, the WWF was losing a lot by firing Jeff, he was one of their best performers. Personally, she had ruined a relationship which would never have been had it not been for her stubborn inability to mind her own business. She had destroyed something by creating it. She could have lost two good friends as well. She placed her hands over her face. "Oh God." She muttered to herself, tears flowing freely. How was she going to fix it? She had to get out of there, feeling the overwhelming urge to throw up take hold. She jumped from her chair, excusing herself as she ran down the hall to the bathroom.  
  
  
Robert reached back over the desk, expressionless, pressing the speaker button on the telephone. "How was that?" He asked.  
  
"Brilliant." Nat's voice filled the room, while the sounds of Jeff's laughter could be heard in the background. 


End file.
